Head coach Robert de Pauw, who will leave Leverkusen at the end of the season alongside captain Elisa Senß, is aware of the emotional significance of this game. “Every player has to know what it means to walk out in the derby against Köln with the Bayer Cross on their chest. It’s one of the most important games of the year,” said the Dutchman. “We need to go into the game with an especially big emotiveness and passion. I want to see that in the challenges.” The 1-0 win in the reverse fixture in Cologne will serve as a good lesson for that. “That gave us a lot of confidence. We want to see that feeling again,” stressed de Pauw, who added: “I also want to remain unbeaten in derbies during my time at Leverkusen.”
He doesn’t want his impending departure at the end of the season to be a factor in the remaining games. “It doesn’t change much for me. The motivation to get the most out of the season is still huge. We’re in fifth place and want to remain there at the very least. That was our goal before the season,” de Pauw stated. The belief in that objective remains big after the recent goalless draw away at Freiburg where the team lacked “finesse in the final third”. “I have great confidence in the team that we can do it. The best players will continue to play every week.”
De Pauw believes that Köln, who are ninth in the table with 14 points, will be confident after their 2-1 win over Werder Bremen at the larger RheinEnergieStadion, but also stressed: “They can still feel the pressure in the relegation battle below and will come here motivated. De Pauw and his team want to put up resistance against the opposition’s “very busy” attack with January signing Carlotta Wamser by using “Bayer 04 style”.
The women will then face Essen away from home on Sunday, 24 March (6.30pm) before the international break. “The league’s final straight begins after the break. We need to create a good position for ourselves in the games against Köln and in Essen. They will be two heated fixtures,” concluded de Pauw.
Tickets for the derby at the Ulrich-Haberland-Stadion are available to buy HERE in the online shop or on the gate on Monday.
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A special tribute to a German football legend: The pay-TV channel Sky has dedicated a documentary worth watching to the current Germany sporting director and former Bayer 04 player and sporting director Rudi Völler. In addition to Völler's impressive career, assessments from contemporaries and very private insights, the 90-minute film also covers his many years of commitment to Bayer 04. "Rudi Völler - The one and only" is now available exclusively on Sky and the associated streaming service WOW.
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The second international break of the 2025/26 season will begin after the Bundesliga match against Union Berlin (Saturday, 4 October, 15:30 CEST). The latest information on call-ups.
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Alejo Sarco and Argentina won their second group match at the U20 World Cup in Chile on Wednesday night. They beat Australia 4-1 with Sarco setting the tone early with a goal in the third minute. As in the first group game against Cuba, where Sarco scored twice, the 19-year-old was also named "Player of the Match" against Australia.
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